FROZEN MEAT TRADE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 643, 21 October 1909, Page 10

FROZEN MEAT TRADE.

THE FARMERS' POINT OF VIEW. (By Telograph.r-Bpecial Correspondent.) ■..i : • ChristchurchY October 20.; ; At to-day's meeting of, the NoTth Canter bury Farmers' Union, Mr. C."H. Ensor, refer ring-to'tlw'present'outlook fbr the frozen, meal trade, said the very sudden rise.of a penny p'ei ,pour.d-ra.,th.e, price, i'aniounting.;to nearly one tne'yaljie"of."the product, showec ■ that .there'must be "something rntlically wron; when ..the market could be manipulated to tha; extent, fi . The: position, the speaker' said, ap pearea to be that at. a time .when farmers a' this end were being told they' had glutted thi London, market,, the people-in that, very cit; .were crying out for Statistics appearjni in" "CSfgety's' Review" "of ' July i 5 showed tha within the last 12 yoars theshdep throu'ghou the world, had decreased by 39| "fnillions, w.hil< ,in„the,.ranje r peiSod ,-.tho\Wool ,a(fcl -mutton: con 87J .mil ilib'n's) o/iPcoplC-i TnereVmust. be an-., eriormoui field for' the. niVat'/industry yet to exploit, :bm still it was. possible-that'the' course' 1 of distri : bution .had rnn into certain channels in whicl large:interests viere: bound up.,'to* keep it iri;th< old groove. If the . producers considei ■for. -theyr, would: seeifhat' under-'thi present system'of- aistribiitin»?th'eir,. meat theri were! a number '.of individuals • ifho -required.: ."o'Ut"' bnt'of'it'-before' it' .reached the door.:o the 'consumer. There was. the agent .who soli the" sheep ;to the dfiakr, who. 1 .'sold:, it to , ,th. meat merchant, -sold, it ,to "the. butcher sold. the' consumor,. and al Jeyiediitoll ,upon it.,'iThe. farmer-,paid, becausi he.was. simple. That would not natter so nhic) if. this middleman kept pushing the market inti fresh fields, but there was a'. : possibility tha ,-the. hieat merchant who sold' : to the lingli.V ■butchoi; found it to his interest to keep v t& 'nieat-.siipply in a channel over; which he halt l,|rom.t oontrol.' To say - that supplies' should bi regulated might l suit the' meat '.merchant,' -bu 1 .yp.wo'iild; not Wlp'.the farmer, as he must seni ■'hi?:'|heep "alid-'.'.lambs ' away..'when they an 'rteHy>-''i'Mo'ney.i spent in making , their : moa T&cn'.'.tfe'.dbirs 'ot'l th© consumer would brini ~the fanner', and .the. peopli .of,,this''country-than money.spent,'in buildinj large/stores . for the -benefit of the meat mer ctont's'and epeculatore.-. He moved "that ..thi cxeoutivd do-all in -its power to bring about i conference of farmers' organisations and othef ire inte'restedMn the meat'trfide." ; J W.'- Leailey.'in seconding the motion, said, 6n< of;-'the causes of.'the recent' .low. prices' will that -there'were too:'many silling' agentsj'al Home. A- better ' arrangement fof. re'gulatin's shipments at this end should; be. made.' Nov Zealand meat was hot being sold on : its-merit! Nt Home- The discussion was adjourned, it; be ing agreed I that if ' poasiblo • a sjiecial, sittin; should be devoted, to the. question. ' • ■ :